Second Chance
by Sophia Lore
Summary: We all know what happens in episode six, but what if things had gone a little differently? My take on how it could have turned out. "He could hear Amon chuckle darkly, and knew that if he wanted to get out of this, now was the time to do it."
1. Escape

I'm sure I'm not the only one who despaired over Tahno's new state of un-bending-ness. So I dedicate this piece to him, and wish to share with you all the way I think it could have turned out. My second fic. Please review, they make me want to write stories :D

Characters, world and concept not mine btw, but there is a cool new waterbending and airbending technique I made up in this fic (in the two chapters that I've written anyways :p ) can you spot them?

…

Tahno flung what he could into his attacks, but he couldn't help his distraction. It was fear. He was afraid. Afraid of the man he faced.

Oh yes, he'd heard the stories.

"…_He can remove bending! Forever!" _

"…_He will stop at nothing…"_

"_Not even the mighty avatar could face…"_

"_He took lightning bolt Zolt's bending! Lightning bolt Zolt! What chance do __we__ have?"_

These words flashed through his mind, and could be perceived in his actions. He knew he had no chance. It didn't stop him though. _What am I doing? I'm Tahno! __The__ Tahno! A guy with a mask doesn't scare me!_

He growled as he attacked with renewed vigor, taking shot after shot at Amon, who evaded him with seaming ease. There was _no way _that Tahno of the _Wolfbats _was going down without a fight. From the side, he saw his companions fall, and instinctively knew he was next. True to his suspicions, a rope was flung at his limbs before he could react, tangling him up like a fly in a net as he hit the floor. Hard.

Dazed and in pain, panic began to set in as he saw footsteps approach from his position on the platform.

Two sets of hands roughly brought him up to his knees to face his fate, and Tahno began looking around with lightning speed for a way out. For escape. Regardless, he could see the masked menace come forward steadily, unflinchingly. He had the posture of a man confident in himself, his words and … his actions.

He tried pleading, though it went against the image he made for himself, against his nature. He'd try anything at this point. Even being Tahno of the Wolfbats.

"Please, I'll give you the prize money, _anything_, just don't take my bending!"

He could hear Amon chuckle darkly, and knew that if he wanted to get out of this, now was the time to do it. That's when he remembered where they were.

_The arena! Of course!_

Tahno then did the only thing he could do in his predicament.

There was only one man holding him now as others had to secure his two teammates, so he took advantage of that. Whacking his head backwards at top speed, Tahno winded the chi-blocker, causing him to be released as he'd intended. He then rolled backwards until he found himself in a freefall off the side of the platform and into 'the drink', ignoring the how undignified the whole rolling act made him look.

_Free._

That was his last thought before hitting the water. His vision went black momentarily and he was disoriented by the darkness of the water contrasting with the bright lights above. He instinctively moved to start treading water, but found that he couldn't.

_The ropes!_

He struggled against his bonds, suddenly realizing the severity of his actions. He'd saved his bending for now, but at what price? His_ life_?

He thrashed around frantically, trying to bend solely using his torso and head, but became confused as to which way was up while he sank lower and lower. Even if he could bend, he now had no clue in which direction to go. His head was pounding from what he'd done to escape, and it was all so tiring. So very, very tiring. His thrashing slowed to an occasional jerky movement as his eyelids seemed to become heavier and heavier…

…

"The bender!" cried the chi blocker who had been charged with restraining Tahno, as he ran towards the edge of zone three. They hadn't considered that when they'd positioned themselves so close to the edge of the third zone of the elevated platform. They should have seen it as a possibility.

"Tighten your hold on them" commanded Amon calmly, as he saw the remaining Wolfbats gain inspiration by what their team leader had just done.

"Sir…" Tahno's chi blocker trailed off as his great leader turned to face him, lifting his had only slightly in an indication to remain silent. Amon then turned to the two benders, taking up the discarded microphone as he did.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you. Would you rather drown or live without your precious bending? The choice is yours. But before you do, might I ask if you realize that he was restrained? How can he bend, or swim for that matter, while bound? Face it, he didn't have a chance." His dark words hit home as Tahno's team members shot each other horrified glances. Amon's chi blockers then understood his logic. No use going after a deadbender now was it?

Both benders were released from the hold their chi blockers had on them, but neither made a move towards the water. They were bound too, and had even less chance of surviving the fall then their fellow waterbender, who still might have been able to bend his way out of his element somehow. It was all the hope they could hold on to.

"I didn't think so. It seems benders have some common sense after all."

Both hung their heads as the chi blockers repositioned themselves at their sides.

Behind the mask, Amon smiled. They were broken, and he was the one that did it. He did not have elemental bending powers, but he didn't need those. He'd never needed them. He had the power of words. The audience in the stadium witnessed the entire exchange with baited breath, and disbelieving faces. They were too shocked to accept what their eyes and ears were telling them.

Amon made a grand gesture towards the benders before him, looking pitiful and small on their knees.

"So, who's first?"

…..

"What was that?" Korra exclaimed as she saw a large object that looked suspiciously human fall into the tank with a large splash.

They had all heard Amon's voice speaking but they could not make out his words, and were wondering what was going on above them. Pabu was currently chewing his way contentedly through the ropes, and Korra wished the fire ferret would hurry just a little faster.

"No idea" replied Mako, giving a concerned side glance to his partners.

"I think… that it might have been a person." Bolin said quietly. He was nervous, as his last encounter with Amon flashed rapidly before his eyes. It made him unnaturally silent.

Upon hearing Bolin's voice, Pabu paused his chewing and looked up questioningly at him.

"Pabu! Don't stop, you need to hurry! That might be a person!" scolded Korra roughly, frustration seeping into her words. Pabu took a couple of steps backwards and lowered his head in nervousness.

"Korra, don't talk to Pabu that way! He's our ticket out of here!" reprimanded Bolin.

"It's okay Pabu, please finish chewing boy, you're doing great" He proceeded to mash his teeth together, producing clicking noises that he was certain Pabu could understand.

The other two team members… not so much. Korra and Mako rolled their eyes. At least Bolin was acting more like himself.

Pabu recommenced chewing and sure enough, the ropes fell to their sides. Immediately Korra was up and running towards the place she saw the object fall, convinced that it was a person.

_How long have they been under? Four minutes? Five? Oh please be ok. Please be ok._ Her worry drove her forward as she dove with full force into the water, ignoring the disapproving cries of her teammates or the cold shock it gave her. Sure it could all be a set up, but she couldn't afford to think of it that way. Not when someone's life might be at stake.

Using her bending, she scanned the vibrations in the water currents and tried to sense out any large disturbances in the flow, where a person might be floating or thrashing. It was a technique that was taught to her by Katara.

Her waterbending master had told her that she had created the method of water scanning from inspiration. Her earthbending friend Toph used her element to see, so Katara had deduced that she could do something similar using water. It was not as accurate as the earthbending style of sensing since it did not illustrate the same level of detail from the surrounding environment, instead indicating vague shapes to give the bender a better idea of what they are looking at beneath the water's surface. At times it could be incredibly useful, especially when hunting for fish or other sea bound prey. Since then it had been a technique taught to waterbenders around the world.

Sure enough, within moments of using the technique, she felt what could only be described as the shape of a person below her to the right. She quickly bent the water to propel the body towards her, aware that the time she had left was trickling away.

Ejecting both herself and the unknown person back onto the platform using her native element, Korra felt the slight drain of her energy. Coughing and sputtering, she crawled up alongside the stranger quickly, as he, for it certainly was a he, did not seem to be breathing. That's when everything came into focus. Tahno. It was Tahno.

After only a slight hesitation, she began bending the water out of his lungs as she'd been taught. _He's a waterbender, why didn't he bend himself out? Did he… no, he couldn't have. Amon couldn't have taken it… could he? _Her mind was racing a mile a minute as she swiftly looked him over from top to bottom.

His complexion was even paler than usual, his eyes were shut, lips slightly parted, and his once wavy hair was plastered haphazardly across one side of his face. But most importantly, he was bound, both arms and legs by a strong length of rope not unlike the one that had restrained Mako, Bolin and herself. She subconsciously let out a breath of relief.

_Maybe that's why he wasn't able to bend himself out of there… can't assume the worst just yet._

She felt a flicker of how terrified she'd been when Amon had faced her, cold hands clenched tightly on her jaw, and subsequently shuddered. Sometimes she swore she could still feel the ghost of his fingertips on her chin, as if the threat he posed to all benders lingered on her very skin. Alive, eating her from the inside with doubt and fear. In that moment, she didn't care if it was Tahno, he _needed_ her, and she'd see him through. Now if only she could get him breathing.

…..

"These were your champions! Now, two have nothing left and their 'powerful' leader has perished, just as you, benders, will have nothing. This world is yours to control no longer." Spoke Amon to the masses of shocked faces in the stadium. Some faces even sported tears of fear and denial. Amon enjoyed it, took pleasure in the pain he caused.

It could never, _would never_, measure up to his pain.

"To all of my followers, does this not prove that we can, and will win this fight? We grow stronger, more powerful and numerous each day. Now you too can hold the power of a chi blocker in your hand if you choose to join us." Amon turned in full circle to emphasize that he was directing his speech to everyone.

He added his last words with dramatic pause, knowing the effect it would have even before he said it.

"Brothers, sisters, the era of bending is over! The revelation has begun!" and with that, he had his chi-blockers kick both benders, now _non_-benders, over the side of the third zone. Still tightly bound. He laughed darkly as the crowd still sat in shock, registering what he'd just done.

Not only had he taken their bending, he'd ultimately just _killed_ them by keeping them confined in ropes, with no chance of swimming out of what was sure to be a watery grave.

Only once the glass shattered overhead and the ropes were lowered towards Amon and his followers did the mass hysteria finally break out. Benders and non benders scrambled to flee the stadium in fear. And amongst the chaos, Tahno's teammates hit the water.

….

Bolin and Mako came running up to Korra's crouched position over Tahno's prone form. She was pumping her arms frantically, hands placed firmly on his chest. Whatever it was that they were going to say died in their throats as they recognized just who she was helping. Korra looked up desperately, and with… a slight blush on her cheeks? Mako found that a little odd, but perhaps it was from the exertion. Korra never blushed, so yes, that made sense.

"Are you alright?" he asked her. They could all still hear what had to be Amon's voice on the announcer's microphone above, but they still couldn't make out what he was saying.

"Yes" she replied shakily. "Just a little out of breath." she panted.

"Is _he_… okay?" Mako stared down at Tahno's pale face, and unmoving chest as her arms continued to work at getting him breathing. Her eyes held faint traces of tears for just a moment along with a fleeting look of shame. _What if I hadn't yelled at Pabu? What if I'd run a little faster? What if… _She'd never seen a person die before. She didn't want this to be the first.

"I… I'm not sure. I think…" Whatever she'd been about to say was cut off as screaming broke out above them. Korra's arms paused as all three of their heads snapped towards the sound, and they shared a look of trepidation. Just then, two people came splashing down into the water, and began sinking out of sight immediately.

Korra turned her head towards Mako and Bolin, and gave them a look.

"You get him breathing, we'll get those two." Mako stated bluntly as he turned towards the tank, grabbing Bolin by the sleeve and pulling him along.

Once they dove, Korra knew she'd only have a limited amount of time to do what she must. Her last resort. A faint blush stained her cheeks once more as she tried to mentally separate what she was about to do from who she was going to do it to. She had considered doing it earlier, but then Mako and Bolin had showed up, effectively keeping her from attempting what she was about to do. Finally, scolding herself for her hesitance, she just sucked it up and plunged her mouth over Tahno's while holding his nose tightly shut.

Using what little airbending she'd picked up from Tenzin and the kids, she made her breath contain larger quantities of air, allowing for a more forceful gust than any normal breath could manage. It wasn't much, but it could still save his life.

She pulled back to look at his face, getting desperate for him to show any signs of life. It was so wrong to think of a bender harmed by their own element. It was almost never done.

"Work with me here Tahno. Even when dead you stand against me." she whispered to him impulsively, with a twist of dark humor.

Her arms continued to propel forwards on his chest, putting everything she had into the hard pushes.

She lowered her mouth to his again, repeating the same actions as before_. Come on Tahno! That can't be the last time your conceited face smirks at me. It just can't!_ She repeated the process three more times before finally, _finally_,there was some movement. But it wasn't what she'd expected.

…..

Ooh, cliff hanger :D I know, evil. But don't worry, second chapter's on here too. Please tell me what you think! This chapter is considerably longer than the second one though, just thought you should know!


	2. Surprises

Alright, who's up for chapter two? :D Sorry, not as long as the first.

Again, not mine, (other than the technique tings I mentioned earlier) just having some fun.

…..

Tahno, to put it lightly, enjoyed being with women. Frequently. Using his celebrity status paired with his good looks and conceited bad-boy attitude, he was rarely to be found without one hanging off his arm, wherever he may be. Which meant that Tahno had had more than enough time to get rather proficient at kissing. At this point, it was an automatic reaction whenever he found a mouth placed on his own. Even when that so called mouth was currently trying to save his life.

Korra was startled when suddenly, Tahno's still, lifeless mouth came to life against her own. And boy did it ever. Before she even understood what was happening, he had his tongue inside her mouth and her thought process rocketing out of orbit. For a second, just a split second, she pressed herself to him and kissed back. Suddenly though, her conscience came crashing back into her as the particulars of their current situation caught up with her befuddled brain. She scrambled backwards off of Tahno, and sat there stunned as his eyes slowly opened and came back into focus. Seeing his eyes glance around in confusion, Korra decided to speak up. _Just put it out of your head Korra, he definitely didn't know it was you, and he was dead only a minute ago. I'll give him this one, little, tiny freebie. Just one. He tries this again whilst sane and I'll make sure he can't have children. Still…_she thoughtreluctantly_, that was one hell of a kiss._

"Are you alright Tahno?"

"Korra? What…?" He sounded very disoriented, but that wasn't what she noticed first. That was the first time she'd heard him say her name. She didn't know if she liked it or not, but she definitely felt something.

Everything that had just transpired flashed through Tahno's mind an instant later, landing lastly on the kiss. For once though, he ignored that particular memory. He would have certainly enjoyed gloating and teasing her about it, but circumstances being what they were, he decided to refrain. For now.

"My teammates. Did they make it?" demanded Tahno immediately. She was surprised by this. She generally thought Tahno only cared about himself.

_Don't be stupid. They're his teammates, of course he'd care! You care about Mako and Bolin, why should it be any different for him? You don't even know him _she thought, frustration towards herself evident in her musings.

"They fell into the tank." She responded warily.

Already predicting his response to her words, she lunged forward to restrain him as he tried to get up to fetch them. "Let _go_ of me!" spit Tahno, enraged.

"Tahno calm your pretty-boy ass down and listen to me. Mako and Bolin have already gone in after them. They'll be up within a minute. Don't worry, I'm sure they got to them in time."

Korra struggled to keep her hold on the lean but surprisingly powerful bender as he struggled to resist her.

"You're suggesting I trust the lives of my friends to your 'crew'?" he said mockingly, glaring at her. She could sense something beneath the insult though. As she searched his eyes, she found what she'd been looking for. He was being sincere. Behind the mocking expression, he truly meant to ask her whether she thought her teammates could handle saving the lives of his two friends. _Maybe he'll find a way to do that politely in the future _she thought, vaguely amused by his brusque manner and unwillingness to ask a direct question.

"I'm sure of it" she replied in a calm voice, not rising to the bait. _Hmm, airbending training's paying off. Only a month ago I would have exploded at him for that._

Before he could answer her, an blast sounded above, and chunks of burning metal were hurled into the water below. With wide eyes, Korra and Tahno shared a look. They knew what they had to do.

"You strong enough right now pretty-boy? Be serious." said Korra firmly.

Tahno scoffed at her, standing upright and pulling out of her slackened grip.

He looked at her in arrogant disbelief.

"Do you even need to ask uh-vatar?" he said confidently. She could tell he was still frightened, but decided to go with it anyways. They didn't have much time if they wanted to make sure their respective teammates made it out of the rubble-filled tank.

They turned towards the lip of the platform and kneeled, placing their hands in the water. "I thought I said be serious." Korra mumbled under her breath in exasperation, rolling her eyes before focusing on the task at hand.

Tahno caught that and flashed a smug grin her way for just a second before the worry set in on his face again. He tried to dispel it with a look of confidence, but gave up as it was too difficult to maintain the façade while concentrating on the subwater currents.

He was in too much shock to be terrified over what had nearly been done to him only minutes earlier, or the fact that he had almost died permanently. He glanced at the avatar again. He'd have to thank her for that later. His actions really would have cost him his life. _Why don't I think these things through more? Captain strategist of the Wolfbats, you'd think I'd have more sense _he berated himself. He didn't want to admit, even in his mind, just how terrified he'd been. His actions spoke volumes, though he decided to ignore that too.

Just then, his thoughts were snapped back into focus as he heard the avatar gasp.

…

So yes, I do enjoy writing cliff hangers :) Want me to stop? Continue? I'd love to know :) Thanks!


	3. Race Against the Clock

Hey guys! I am totally thrilled at the response to this story so far. I can't tell you how happy these wonderful reviews have made me. I wasn't able to update fast since we're in final exam period right now (studying. ugh.) Be forewarned… another cliffy at the end of this :D I have no Beta reader, so even though I re-read my chapters around three times before updating, a few mistakes always seem to slip by. I am what you might call a "noob" at fanfiction writing, so please bear with me! (Sorry if I suck at dialogue :p I've never really written much) Thanks :D

P.S: Have you SEEN the newly released clip from episode 7? It just makes me love Tahno even more! How is that even possible! That guy seriously needs a hug, and I liked how Korra dealt with the situation too (he said her name!)

Also, special thanks to Midnight4568 for being an awesome reviewer with some great ideas that will be featuring in some future chapters. If any of you have suggestions, I'd love to hear em'! This story's for you after all ;) And without further adue…. Chapter 3

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

"They're trapped!" she cried with alarm.

"What? Where?" demanded Tahno, mentally embarrassed that his thoughts had strayed from the important task they we doing, even if it was only for a moment. He had let down his teammates, letting _her_ find them before himself. That thought made him growl in irritation. There was no way that little girl was going to out-show him.

Korra could tell that he was upset over the fact that she had located them before he had. She signed in annoyance. _Must he turn __everything__ into a competition?_

Her irritation at his attitude was evident when she spoke.

"Well maybe if you'd have been looking you would know!" she snapped.

"Are you seriously implying that I wasn't doing my job?" Tahno was enraged at her bold accusation. How had she known he hadn't been completely on task? Questions aside, he couldn't help but feel guilty at his lack of concentration.

"It certainly seemed that way." she spat.

"You… this wouldn't even be a problem if your so called 'teammates' had done their job properly in the first place!" He gestured vaguely towards the water and debris with frustration and anger.

"How dare you even try to bla…." Korra did a double take and shook her head. "Wait, what are we doing? They're nearly drowning right now!" and with that she turned to the water and dove.

Tahno found himself blinking in shock. Everything happened so suddenly! He hardly even had the time to process it. One minute they're yelling at each other and the next she's disappeared under the water's dark surface.

The smoke was starting to become an issue as the fires continued to escalate in size from above. There were even fires burning on the debris floating in the tank. Tahno choked and coughed on the fumes, deciding to do what he could to handle the flames burning on the various hunks of broken metal and wood that were strewn everywhere on the water's surface. He may not have trusted her teammates to do the job, but strangely enough he had faith that the avatar would try her best to get them out. She was the avatar, she could handle it herself.

A few long streams of water rose from the watery depths as Tahno bent them to do his bidding. Quick as a flash, the whips struck the multiple fires and doused them. He repeated the process quickly until only smoke and steam rose from the debris. _And that's why waterbenders are superior to firebenders. Our element snuffs theirs out in a heartbeat_ he thought smugly. Satisfied that the smoke seemed to be thinning slightly, he turned back towards the giant hunks of metal that were slowly sinking, looking to see if Korra had yet emerged.

To his dismay, he saw no trace of movement other than that of the water's natural ripples and the occasional small piece of metal that would fall from the broken and burning platform high above.

"Korra?" he called out, becoming slightly restless. Where was she? He was more or less certain that it'd only been about a minute or two since she'd gone under. His eyes continued to scan for any trace of her or their companions. For anyone at all. He kneeled and decided to use another, more useful method of seeking them out. Standing around and worrying was obviously getting him nowhere.

To his short lived relief, he found her submerged form pressed against the outer bottom side of a giant metal plate. She seemed to be struggling against it. His dismay became more urgent when he realized why she seemed to be resorting to metalbending instead of using the other elements. Two large pieces of metal that had once made up part of the fighting platform's floor had fused together in the extreme heat of the initial explosion. To make matters worse, they had not only merged to each other, but to the floor of the tank as well. That made it virtually impossible to get out once trapped inside. Or vice versa. On the brighter side of things, he could sense that his friends had found a small pocket of air along with the bending brothers. But that small pocket was filling up fast. Very fast. They had about eight minutes until it would be completely submerged. Ten if they were lucky. It seemed that they had been at the wrong place at the wrong time when the platforms had collapsed into the water. At least they didn't seem to be injured.

As he continued to observe for about two minutes, he couldn't understand why Korra hadn't gotten through the metal yet. Wanting an explanation, he made the water wrap around her torso constrictively and hauled her back towards him. He noted once she'd surfaced that she was clearly struggling for breath and sputtering with outrage. Once deposited on the platform, she caught Tahno off guard by lashing out at him. Totally bewildered, he grabbed her hands as they attempted to punch him and pulled them behind her back in a hold.

It'd take more than that to stop her though. She kicked back at him, trying to dislodge herself from his tight grip. "Let _go_ of me!"

"Korra! Calm down!" he commanded in her ear. She stilled momentarily, and he waited a few more seconds before cautiously releasing her. Before her could react though, she'd whirled and backhanded him across the face. _Ugh, she can really pack a punch. That's going to leave a bruise…. on my face. ON. MY. FACE. _Tahno was immediately angered by her irrational actions and the temporarily disfiguring injury he had sustained from her antics, but the feeling was snuffed out almost as quickly as it had come.

It was replaced by shock as he looked disbelievingly at a nearly hysterical Korra, tears of fear and shame flowing freely down her disheveled and flushed face. He'd never seen her cry before. He hadn't even known she _could_.

He grasped her by the shoulders tightly.

"Korra? What's wrong?" Seeing her this distressed had an effect on him as well. She always seemed so confident and self-assured, like she could take on anything. The fact that she wasn't made him afraid. Of what, he didn't know yet.

"I can… I can't d… do it." She stuttered, lowering her head as she started sobbing.

"Korra! I need you to listen to me! Our friends are in there. They _need_ us. And in order for us to help them, you can't give in. Not yet. This isn't the Korra that would go toe-to-toe with the best waterbender in all of Republic City without batting an eyelash. They need you to be that girl, _right now_." He stressed the words and shook her slightly, hoping to disrupt whatever dark thoughts had put her in this state.

"What's the problem? They've got about five minutes left of air in there, so you better talk fast."

He was relieved to see her look up at him with a fresh glint of resolve and determination, and maybe even… _gratitude_? in her eyes as she nodded at him. _Good. There's the girl I know._

"I've never actually… used metalbending before" she winced as she said it, evading his gaze. "Bending's always come so naturally to me… I guess I thought I could wing it."

"Alright, I don't need to know your excuses about why you've never metalbended right now, but we still need to find a way around this."

"Don't look at me! I'm not team captain, Mako is! I suck at strategy!" Korra was getting slightly frantic again at the mention of Mako's name. _They need me. NOW._

"You're the avatar aren't you?" She gave him a look.

"Fine! Just give me a minute to think" he requested.

"Ok, just… hurry!" she said nervously.

They both paced in tandem, hoping to find inspiration. Ideas were shot back and forth, built on, then dropped when one would find a fault in the other's logic. Getting increasingly frustrated, both were extremely startled when they heard echoed yelling coming from within the hulking metal form.

They rushed to the water, sticking their hands in and casting their senses outwards towards the source of their friends distress.

True to their fears, their time was about a minute from being up. More cries sounded from within, and they strained to hear what was being said. With the help of her extra 'sight' Korra was able to make out their words.

"Korra it's ok… we know you're trying. You might be the avatar, but you can't be responsible for saving everyone. Don't beat yourself up about it ok? For us?" That was Mako. "And please, just make sure Pabu has a good home ok? And tell him I'm just on a great vacation. I'm sure he'll like that." Bolin. _Her friends. _

Suddenly, the thought of truly losing them surfaced and this time she knew it wasn't just a possibility. They'd failed. No more of Mako's good natured yelling at practices, of Bolin's laughter and jokes. No more fantastic fire ferrets. No more them. Her vision started to falter as she was filled with an all consuming grief, and before she could backtrack towards sanity, her inborn instincts swept her up into an emotionally induced connection to power.

Meanwhile, Tahno was also hearing his teammates words for him. They were wishing him luck finding partners that could possibly top them (as if), and hoped that he would move on and live his life. They'd had a good run. _Joking 'till the end it seems._ His eyes watered as he came to a similar conclusion to Korra's. _We're too late._ He clenched his eyes shut to rid himself of his tears. He had to be strong for them. He was 'The Tahno' after all. They wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Just as Tahno was bracing his heart for the terrible blow that was sure to ensue their demise, he felt a strange ripple pass through the air, so slight that it was almost imperceptible.

Confused, he turned to Korra with a questioning gaze and stopped. His eyes widened as he observed her. She seemed unnaturally frozen in a crouched position, eyes tightly shut, as if made from the very ice she bended. Before he could bring himself to speak up, her eyes snapped wide, glowing blue with spiritual power. He'd heard the legends. Who hadn't?

She was in the avatar state.

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Please review :) They make me want to write faster! Can't wait until Saturday. Farewell fellow Tahno fans :D Until the next chapter! Just how will she handle this one?


	4. It Has Come to This

Here finally! Explanation at the end of chappie. Thanks for awesome reviews as they make me want to write more, and the story is definitely not abandoned for those of you who might have feared that! Again, not Beta'd, so bound to be some mistakes. Please point them out to me if you see them! Also, wanted to get this up quick in the limited spare time I have, so didn't proof read very well. Bound to be errors here and there. Will re-upload better version of this later. So on with the show!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Korra…?" called Tahno timidly. Never had he felt so off-balance. This just wasn't his day. She didn't react to his words. She was in another place, he could see that now. Warily he reached out to touch her arm, warnings going off in his mind all the while as natural instinct kicked in. She was at her most unhinged and wild, only a sliver of the girl who had saved his life not twelve minutes earlier still present. But it wasn't enough. Not when the strength and memories of the thousands who came before her controlled her mind and actions.

Before he could reach her, she shot up into a standing position, face contorting into one of rage, the glowing blue of her eyes giving light to the tear tracks streaming town her face. It was a terrible sight to behold, to see her in her so much raw rage and pain. He was stunned into immobility, too captivated and horrified by the sight before him.

In one large leap she summoned the water to catch her and turned it to ice, creating a huge slide that she slid over effortlessly to reach the huge hunk of contorted metal that breached the water's surface not far from the bottom platform. The ice was seemingly alive. Never had Tahno seen such skill in waterbending, to have the ice be a solid, yet malleable at the same time, changing it's density in order for it to change shape faster than his eye could follow. Not even a master could manage that. The living sheet of ice carried her to her destination depositing her on the surface of the large metal mass. As she lowered her hands to it with fury, he then understood what she was going to do. Hope swelled for a millisecond in his heart, the knowledge that his friends would live almost too good to be true. He had already accepted their gruesome fate, and had expected it to be something he's try to avenge his entire life. He'd felt resigned to his fate. Not only was the avatar freeing his friends, she had undoubtedly freed him too. Freed him from a life of guilt and pain. How many times will she save me today? He thought to himself, barely conscious of the words his own mind was supplying as he continued to gaze at her in wonder.

With a sharp tug, the metal came apart under her fingers, creating a ragged and gaping hole in the metal surface. The intense shriek of metal protesting was hard on the ears as an abnormal amount of force tore it apart as easily as if it were tinfoil. The sound was so painful that Tahno covered his ears against the offending noise. It didn't make him stop looking though. He was too anxious to see if his friends Zaiko and Tulza were alright. And for a few heart wrenching moments, the avatar stood still, gazing down into the metal fissure with a blank expression, eyes throwing her face's appearance to one of inhuman frigidity.

_No. We're too late!_ he thought, and his hope wilted as he felt his heart break a second time. With a second disappointment came the appearance of tears. That was why Tahno preferred to harden his personality to the point of being known as a class-A prick; it was easier to let the crush of disappointment slide off of his heart and mind, similar to the way his element slid off a turtle-duck's back. And Tahno had been quite used to disappointment before his life had "taken a turn for the better".

Just as he lowered his head, he heard a large 'woosh' and instantly lifted his gaze towards the noise. Sure enough, out from the large trench of twisted metal came a spray of water so large it could have easily reached the glass ceiling of the large stadium had the avatar wished it. With it was the form of four young men, and the avatar shifted her arms and twisted her torso elegantly to bring them on a slide that deposited them onto the bottom platform. Coughing and sputtering the moment they were released from the floating river and onto the cold hard form of the lowest platform, the two pairs collapsed from shock and exhaustion. Tahno noticed their living state and was overcome with a sense of relief and gratitude, cautiously lowering the hard barriers he'd placed around his heart and mind not two minutes ago to deal with the pain of loss.

Though he knew he should go to them, he was also confident that they could handle themselves now that they were relatively safe. He was much too captivated by what Korra was doing to remember that his teammates had just lost their bending. The avatar in question hadn't stopped after what she'd done for the boys; on the contrary, she seemed to be just getting started. Instead of recovering from the avatar state once the deed was accomplished, Korra's eyes continued to glow menacingly as she summoned even more water to do as she commanded with all the power she possessed. It was beautiful and terrifying in the same moment as huge masses of water began to slither upwards on a vertical path, as if a giant tentacled creature were raising its limbs in preparation to fight. Only on a much more massive scale. Twirling around almost faster than the eye could follow, Tahno watched as the colossal tentacles glided over the area and the stadium seats, putting out the fires which had grown massive during their little escapade down below. Tahno then noticed just how toxic the air had become. He felt a slight twinge of sympathy for the four men who had come close to drowning, as they were having it rough indeed. While trying to expel excess water from their burning lungs, the large gulps of air they had to take as a result could not have been very pleasant.

The fires soon doused, she left the water slip back into the tank, and proceeded to manipulate the air in the room into expelling the smoke from the hole Amon had made in the glass far above. _Amazing, she's thinking of everything in order to make sure we're safe._

Tahno was expecting Korra to desist now that she'd seemingly ended her task, but was shocked to see that neither her countenance nor the glow of her eyes had faltered in the slightest. As her face tilted towards the gap in the glass overhead it clicked. _No. Oh no, she going after him._ Tahno's thoughts suddenly launched into overdrive as thousands of consequences to the following fight Korra seemed intent on having flashed through his mind. _I have to stop her! Even like this she might not win. She's not ready But what can I do against the avatar?_ For some odd reason Tahno could not explain to anyone, let alone himself, he knew that Korra was not prepared to face Amon just yet, avatar state or not. Still, there was not much one could do once a fully activated spiritual weapon was in play.

Tahno watched in shocked silence as Korra set alight her hands and feet to propel herself upwards like a jet pack. Tahno had heard of firebenders possessing this amazing capability only when at their strongest. Being the avatar, he assumed that given the unusual display of firebending, that there were exceptions to every rule. He'd never seen her do this when she was being non-spiritual Korra after all. Oddly anxious and feeling more helpless than ever, which Tahno despised with a passion, he could only look on in dismay as Korra got closer and closer to her target.

Before she could reach it however, something unanticipated took place. A lingering equalist in possession of an shock-glove thought fast as he saw the avatar approach the area from which his master had made his escape. Knowing that all he had to do was keep the glove switched to 'on' for it to function, the equalist prayed for a good shot and pitched it at her.

Tahno could not understand what he was seeing at first. Just as Korra reached the opening, a tiny object came from the stands and hit Korra, promptly ending her flight in a spasm of blue sparks and flashes. For a breathless moment, she lay suspended in the air, as if it were unwilling to let gravity take effect. But oh did it ever. Before Tahno could register what was happening, Korra was falling, plummeting to the unforgiving surface of the arena below. And plummeting fast.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Oh how I do enjoy evilness :D Anyhow, hope you liked it. Sorry that it took so long everyone! I am in the middle of crazy exam crunch time right now and m free time is rather limited :O But I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer, so I got this up and running. Don't worry, not abandoned, still more to come :D It's going to be getting interesting! More Tahorra to come as well ;) I like the gradual kind, more rewarding and gut-twisting anticipation that way :p Also, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE AWESOME REVIEWS! You make me want to write more :) I'll try my best to have the next chappie up this weekend, but again no guarantees.

P.S : If any of you think you've identified a plot hole… think again! Her avatar state is not broken, she's just been electrocuted into unconsciousness. Aang got his all befuddled because Azula's lightening actually killed him. Katara revived him with her Nothern Water and stuff. But in this case, Korra is only shocked out of the avatar state, not killed or anything, so her avatar state is still fully intact and functional :D Just wanted to clear that up before questions or complaints or comments formed xD Thanks!


	5. The Sass Survived Unscathed

Hey everyone! I just want to apologize for the large gap between this chapter and the last one I published. I will admit, for a while I had a block. I'd never before written a concise piece of fiction that I finished. I never really knew how to end a story. But going back over all the wonderful reviews you guys gave me, I decided that just because I was finding it difficult, didn't mean I should give up. Now I know that a lot has happened since episode 7 which was the last chapter I had seen when updating the story. Now that season one is finished, my story will be very AU. I intend to branch off quite a bit while keeping a few elements from the original in here. I'm kind of sad about that actually, because for my story to work I have to portray Amon a bad guy, and I found myself adoring his character (no not just because of his story, I actually liked him before that happened) But beside that, everything should be ok. I'm happy to say that I have a base for this story now, and will struggle and fight to finish it for you guys :) Promise.

Before I get to the actual chapter, I just wanted to give some huge and sincere thanks to the reviews from 'LoveAndSerenity'. I was really touched by what you wrote, and I will definitely won't let you down and leave this fic unfinished. Thanks for all the support you guys! Now on with the show ;)

.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

By this time, Korra's boy had recovered enough from their ordeal to be aware of the situation taking place around them. Tahno vaguely registered their cries of horror as they watched their teammate and friend plummet toward the unforgiving surface of the water littered with sharp debris. She wouldn't stand a chance.

Thinking fast, Tahno took the first step towards repaying the immense debt he now considered himself to owe her. Placing himself in the proper stance he swirled swiftly to summon up a water funnel. He shifted through the stances in order to line up the mouth of his watery vortex with Korra's falling figure.

_I can't miss_ he told himself in desperate determination.

He didn't become a member of the winning team three years running just off of luck. Sure enough, she was soon after scooped out of the air by a large seemingly cyclonic mass of water, after which Tahno manoeuvred her towards his location. Once her prone form was lying securely, if damply, on the surface of the lowermost platform, Tahno rushed to her side to check the status of her lungs.

Seemingly free of liquid, he ran his eyes over her for any visible explanation for her current state of unconsciousness.

_Perhaps this is a reaction to using the avatar state for too long? Or does this just happen the first time? Does it even have anything to do with the avatar state? What can I do? _Worried and very perplexed, Tahno could only make guesses as to the reason for her condition. He reached out a hand to lift up the bottom of her shirt slightly to check for damage that might be hidden underneath clothing. Suddenly, a very disoriented Tahno found himself lying on the ground a few feet away from Korra seeing dark spots dance across his field of vision.

"Hands off you slimy pervert. I don't want you anywhere _near _her, understood?!" A very irate Mako was standing with a slight hunch, as he was still recuperating, where Tahno had been not moments before. Ah, so the street ferret had punched him had he? At least it would match the bruise Korra had given him earlier on the opposite cheek. Today was just not his day.

"That's not very nice of you. Didn't your mother ever teach you to share? Oh wait, I forgot, you didn't have one for long now did you?" Tahno spat sardonically, glaring patronizingly at the annoying man as he righted himself.

Sure enough the firebender's eyes widened with shock and rage. "What did you just say?" Twin balls of fire lit up in front of Tahno's eyes, but he stood there completely unaffected staring at Mako as a parent would a child having a particularly nasty tantrum. Rather than bothering to remark, Tahno flicked his wrist in an almost languid motion to propel a forceful jet of water full into gut, knocking him off the platform.

"Ah, that's better. What with the explosions I was really starting to get a headache. His shouting wasn't helping in the slightest." Tahno smirked as he turned from the pleasant sight of the firebender thrashing around in the water to where Korra still lay unmoving.

Before Tahno could so much as stoop, another voice cried out irritatingly.

"That's my brother you waterbending sleazebag! You really are a nasty dude!" Bolin protested loudly while stomping towards him, having finally recovered enough to join in the scene taking place.

"Ugh, more shouting. Honestly you'd think it was hereditary or something." A second flick and twist of the hand later, another ferret was subsequently dunked. Tahno could hear weak chuckles coming from his ragged looking teammates.

"Oh Tahno, all this and you haven't changed a bit." Zaiko coughed out raggedly. "Yep, still as dramatic as ever" Tulza mock-lamented with a weak grin.

Tahno flashed them one of his sly smiles in shared confidence and then turned his attention back towards the matter at hand before the bending brothers fully emerged themselves from their little 'dip' in the tank.

_Hmm, those two pests are sure to be a problem _Tahno thought to himself. _I need some kind of leverage over them… I'm still just one bender against two after all. Wait… leverage. _Tahno's gaze slid to the seating arrangements of the stadium above. _That'll do nicely _he grinned. Hoisting Korra gingerly in his arms, Tahno freed his hands by pulling her tight to his chest and pinning her there with his forearms. Luckily the movements he was going to have to make relied majorly on finger movement rather than full blown stances. If you're well trained that is.

He froze a nice sized block of ice and stepped on to it, using his bending to keep the water surrounding it steady and keep it from reacting to his added weight. He couldn't afford to exert any extra effort balancing himself, not with cargo as important as his happened to be. He then had some water flow over his feet and froze them in place temporarily in order to stabilize himself even further. He was taking no chances.

Using the water to control his trajectory, Tahno boosted himself upwards, as if using some form of elemental based elevator. Through his concentration Tahno could dimly hear the enraged shouts and annoyed calls coming from bellow, the former from the brothers and the latter from his own teammates. They didn't appreciate being abandoned. Luckily for him, Korra was incentive enough for the elder of the two men not to firebend at his retreating figure.

The actual lift used by team members during probending matches had been damaged in the initial explosions, thus leaving them with no alternative escape route.

Elevated high enough at last, Tahno dislodged his feet and deposed Korra on a nearby stadium bench. He then turned and glanced over the edge of the wall he had just surmounted and stared down at the angry occupants bellow. Seeing that Korra was no longer in danger of being burned, Mako let loose a torrent of angry flames in his direction.

Sighing in exasperation, Tahno melted the large block of ice he had used earlier and sent it flying back at Mako and Bolin in liquid form. Not only that, it was also freezing cold. Tahno turned away before the water hit his targets so as to avoid getting his face roasted off, but still got the satisfaction out of hearing their cries of shock as the temperature of the water hitting them sank in. Chuckling to himself, Tahno turned suddenly when he heard a low groan.

"Tah…Tahno?" Her eyes opened slightly and squinted at the bright light. "Where are my teammates?" she demanded weakly.

Deja-vu much? Tahno thought in amusement.

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion when he still hadn't answered. "Wait, are we…" she looked around while slowly pushing herself sluggishly into an upright sitting position.

"KORRA!" Bolin and Mako could be heard calling from far bellow.

Her eyes snapped back to his lazy smug gaze and her eyes narrowed. In a low but nonetheless threatening voice she demanded

"What. Did. You. Do."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Again, this isn't Beta'd, so sorry for any mistakes you might find :)


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